The Lion Sleeps Tonight
by HiKari Mokuba's Guardian
Summary: Seto is stressed and sleep deprived and it seems no matter how exhausted he is, he cannot sleep. The nightmares he confronts are too terrifying to face. Mokuba has been aware of this for a while, but one night he approaches his brother with a solution.


**Dedicated to AmePiper. Her smiles give me hope for a better tomorrow.**

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

"_It's important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go."_-The Life of Pi

He was typing slowly, ambitiously. He was tired, that was a fact. The clock had struck midnight moments ago, his night of work had only just begun, and yet he was tired. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, and Seto Kaiba stopped. He sat there, staring at the mostly blank screen. So much work to do, and so little time. The night was young, but his body was not youthful and energetic as he had expected it to always be over the years. As it had been stated, he had grown very tired.

Seto took in a deep breath, letting the calmness drift down his body, bringing him down to a sleepier state. For one night, he just wanted to sleep. That was all. He just wanted to go to bed, fall into a deep slumber, and never wake up again. That was all he ever truly desired. But he couldn't. For every time he lay on his bed and closed his eyes, the nightmares would come.

They were seemingly darker than the blackness of the night and quite frankly merciless. They would shake him from his rest and cause such an anxiety to well up, Seto felt at some points he couldn't even breathe. Then when the fear would pass, all would be silent. He would lay in his bed, awake, for several hours until his body would finally give way and he would fall into a light, dreamless sleep. That was how the great and mighty Seto Kaiba got his rest.

Seto let his head fall forward a bit, his neck slowly descending towards the keypad of his laptop. He wouldn't allow himself to fully rest on his laptop; he knew he couldn't afford sleep or even to ruin his laptop in any way. So there he would let his head hang in midair, shutting his eyes gently as his neck began to strain.

"You know, you could always sleep if you wanted to." Seto re-opened his eyes and pulled back his head. He was much too tired to be surprised, but he wouldn't have been too alarmed to begin with, for he knew whom this person really was and it was the last person in the world he would have to fear. Seto twisted his chair around and said nothing as he spotted his brother, Mokuba, in the doorway.

"You understand why that isn't possible, and shouldn't you be asleep yourself?" Mokuba chuckled at Seto's response. Seto wasn't too surprised either, for his brother had accustomed already to the ways of being a teenager, finding the ability to stay up later and later and sleep longer in the mornings. Mokuba had grown taller, too. He was maturing to be a fine young adult. This, however, would never be able to change the fact that Seto would always see him and know him to be his younger brother.

"I think you could sleep if you tried," Mokuba said, walking further into the room and over to Seto's bed. He jumped onto the side of the mattress, bouncing up and down, looking towards him. "Man, you've got a comfy bed. You'd have to be the only person in the world who wouldn't be able to sleep on this thing."

Seto rolled his eyes and twisted his chair back towards his work. It would be useless to try and talk sense into him; it had been like that ever since Mokuba had started to truly become a teenager. As an adjustment to this, Seto would simply ignore Mokuba's contrary comments and would go back to what he was doing. Seto, however, would expect a fair insistence to follow.

Mokuba twisted Seto's chair back around and gripped both arm rests on it.

"Not this time, Nii-sama, we need to have a serious talk about this. You've been having trouble with sleep for years now, and I think it's about time for an intervention." Seto planted the palm of his hand right on his face as his leaned his head back and groaned.

"Why must you torture me?"

"I'm not the one torturing you; I think you're the one torturing yourself." Seto lifted one finger, allowing one of his eyes to look at him and scowl.

"I don't have time for clichés, Mokuba. I have work I have to do." Seto tried to roll his chair away from Mokuba's grasp, but Mokuba refused to let go. In fact, he even yanked the rolling chair over to the side of the bed, so he could also sit down. He was staring Seto right in the face, which made Seto more annoyed than uncomfortable. "If I didn't have for time for clichés, I can assure you that I wouldn't have time to fool around either." For a moment, Mokuba's face became serious and the air tensed.

"I'm not fooling around. You and I both know what this is about, what keeps you up at night, and… I actually think I have the answer for you." Seto raised one eyebrow. He was skeptical, but interested.

"And what is that?" Mokuba sighed.

"Well, you're not going to like it, but… I think you're going to have to pay a little visit to our step father's grave to pay your respects." And instantly, Seto became furious beyond all reason. He rose from his chair, throwing it backwards and off it wheels until it had completely capsized to the ground.

"Pay my respects?! Mokuba, HE'S the only reason I can't sleep at night! HE'S the one who haunts me in my sleep!" Mokuba stood up as well to balance the control in the room.

"Calm down, Nii-sama, I know he is. That's exactly why you need to go to his grave, TONIGHT, and fix things. If you don't patch things up now, you'll never be able to sleep." Seto was so frustrated he didn't even know what to say first. Seto didn't have to think about it, the words just seemed to pop out without any rhyme or reason.

"Fix things?! Are you crazy?! Patch things up?? I think you seem to be getting this confused with someone lying on their DEATH BED, not to mention if Gozaburo were lying on his death bed right now, I would KILL THE MAN MYSELF, to make sure he would die as soon as possible." Mokuba shook his head in dismay.

"And that's your problem, Nii-sama, that's why you can't sleep. If you don't let go of the past, it'll continue to haunt you until you confront your issues with it. You need to go to his grave and make your amends now before it completely takes over your life."

"Make my amends? To the man whom ruined my life and made me who I am today? Never. That man was truly a monster. I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing. I'll never be able to get back all those years or all that suffering he caused me."

"And you may never enjoy the years ahead of you if you continue to hold onto the years behind you." Seto grunted with rage and took up the desk lamp on the nightstand and threw it onto the ground. For a moment, both brothers were silent as Seto panted with frustration, trying to calm his nerves. Then he turned his head, gritted his teeth, and directed his full attention towards Mokuba.

"You talk like you know everything, but you don't. You've never been in this situation. So please, don't tell me how to live my life. You're MY younger brother, not the other way around." Mokuba's nostrils flared for a moment, and his muscles grew tight with an anger of its own, but he didn't outwardly express it. Mokuba wouldn't reduce himself to Seto's violent action; he was better abled to handle his anger than his brother. But he wouldn't stand still after hearing that one.

"I killed mom, how do you think THAT made me feel?" Seto's anger vanished. Even though Seto's cognition felt that Mokuba might be playing the 'Mom card' just to try and even the battle field, he couldn't withstand the guilt and pity he had felt for his brother.

"Mokuba… you…"

"Please, don't say it's not my fault, please. I've heard it enough times to hear it in my head. For many nights, I couldn't sleep either. I would pretend half the time, but I was always awake. I felt a guilt that sometimes would haunt me inside my own nightmares that would arise whenever I would fall asleep.

"But… that all changed, when I went to Mom's grave, explained everything, and truly apologized for the first time in my life for what I had done. After that, I could sleep. I never dreamed, but at least I got the rest that I needed." Mokuba gently grabbed a hold of Seto's hand and brought him over to sit on the side of the bed with him. They both sat down at the same time. Mokuba wrapped his arms around his brother, comfortingly.

"Nii-sama, you have to understand… it's not about pride, it's not about guilt, it's not even about paying your respects… what it really comes down to, at the end of the day, is what helps you sleep at night. That's all that should really matter." Seto's head perked up and looked his brother way. Mokuba was looking back at him, offering him a smile. His face was sparkling as the light glistened off the tears brimming on his eyelids. Seto was the one to wrap his own arm around Mokuba's shoulders now, pulling him close into a tight hug.

Mokuba wiped away his eyes and leaned his head against his brother's chest. "I don't need you to hug me like I'm a baby."

"I know. You're not a baby. But you are my baby brother…" Seto gently rubbed his brother's arm as they sat in each other's arms. "What was it you told Mom… to make amends, to be at peace again?" Mokuba didn't look up at his brother; he merely sniffled a bit and shifted his position under his brother's protective arm.

"Nothing special…" Mokuba replied in a quite voice, "Just that I was sorry, that I loved her… that I wouldn't spend the rest of my life feeling guilty. That, instead, I would use the life she gave me to live to the very fullest. That's all I told her." Seto nodded slowly. He then knew what he had to do. He patted his brother's arm and got up.

"Well, I guess I better go to do just than then… will you come along?" Mokuba wiped his eyes again of the few tears that were visible and stood up.

"Always."

* * *

It began, at first, with small droplets, tiny ones that seemed barely noticeable. And then they began to pick up, and grow bigger, stronger. They were so big and strong to the point that when they came down and crashed upon the human body, it would send a sensation that would resemble that of a cold, regrettable shower. The rain was frightfully icy that night as it poured and seeped through Seto's clothes. It was a rather unpleasant experience.

Seto turned back towards Mokuba, whom was standing a few feet behind him, just as soaked as him in the rain. He was standing in a calm position, his hands shoved into the huge pockets of his hooded sweatshirt as he watched from the sidelines.

"Are you sure this couldn't wait till tomorrow?" Seto called over the loudness of the rain. Mokuba merely nodded, and Seto was forced to look back at the muddy, ungrateful grave he was standing in front of. The tomb stone read, 'Gozaburo Kaiba,' but all Seto could really see was, 'The Devil.'

"You better hurry up over there; we're probably going to catch the flu and die if we stand out here any longer." Seto became annoyed; it was Mokuba's own fault they were even out here at this hour to begin with. But Seto had to agree with his brother... illness would await them both if he did not hurry.

Seto sighed with annoyance.

"Look Gozaburo, I'm going to make this snappy because you of all people would appreciate the quickness of such menial emotional duties and would understand the response, 'I've got work to do.' So, here I go… I hate you, Gozaburo. I truly do, I despise you. I'm not sure if there is another being more evil than you; honestly, even Hitler seems saintly compared to you…" Seto sighed again.

"But I'm not here to say that… I'm here to set things straight and move on. Gozaburo, I think it's fair to say that you literally put me through living hell; you truly were a monster that enjoyed making my life miserable. I tried so hard to gain your approval, and you never gave it to me. I wanted so badly to prove to you that I was worth it, and in the process, you gave me something to strive for. If it were not for my determination, surely I would've fallen from the suffering you put me through…" Seto paused for a moment.

"And maybe that is what I owe you for, you were such a devious human that I would've stopped at nothing to seize the company from you to gain a better life. I don't think I would've been able to discover that on my own or if you had been kind to me like other fathers were."

"You wanna wrap it up? I think I'm starting to get sick already!" Seto turned back towards his brother and looked annoyed. Looking back, though, he smiled. Then glancing down at his step father's grave, his face grew serious once again, recapturing the moment.

"Maybe that's the last thing I should thank you for. Gozaburo, because of you, I saw what a real monster you were, what a terrible father was. You were the worst of the worst, and you gave me such hell. But, in being so cruel and unloving, I learned how to be a good father, a real father. All I had to do was be the exact opposite and…" Seto took in a deep breath, "Well, it doesn't matter now. I hope this'll get you out of my head and back in the hell where you belong." Seto turned around and walked towards Mokuba. Mokuba stood there, as if he were waiting for Seto to confirm that he had made his amends and all was well again.

"We can go home now."

"You bet your ass we're going home! I'm about to freeze to death!" Mokuba grabbed his brother's hand and tugged him along. Seto chuckled and kept up his younger brother's quick pace. "Great idea walking here, by the way." Seto laughed again and smiled.

"It's all part of the amendment process."

"I hate you." They walked without saying another word to one another as they went home. None of them had to say anything. The deed had been done, the past had been resolved. There was this calming feeling of being alive again, or rather, being ready to live again.

These thoughts and feelings stayed with them right up until they walked through the front door. They both started to simultaneously take off their wet clothes and dump it in a pile in the corner to get cleaned. Mokuba grabbed a couple towels and the two dried themselves.

Seto wrapped his towel around his waist and looked up; Mokuba was walking up the stairs, most likely to his room.

"You going to bed?" Seto asked. Mokuba turned back and grinned.

"Bed? No way. I've got a girlfriend to talk to," Mokuba said, flipping out his phone. Seto rolled his eyes.

"You kids today and you're TEXTING." Mokuba stuck out his tongue. "Well, I hope you have a nice sleep, if you ever do manage to retract yourself from that phone of yours. See you in the morning." Mokuba nodded. Seto turned away to neatly stack the wet clothes and try to make a mental note to clean tomorrow. Suddenly he heard his brother call for him again.

"Hey Nii-sama…" Seto looked up.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you get some sleep, too." Seto nodded in the same manner Mokuba had.

"Thanks." Mokuba went up the remainder of the stairs to his room while Seto finished drying himself. When he did, he trudged up the same flight of stairs and turned right to his room. Seto exhaled as he walked through the door and collapsed onto his bed. One of his eyes peered open at the still-on laptop. Seto rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. He didn't care about it, work could come later.

As he curled up under the covers and slowly closed his eyes, he felt the most magical thing happen. He became drowsy. Slowly but surely, he found that all his worries and fears of the day had soon begun to drift away just as his consciousness faded too. He felt his body grow heavier and heavier, but in a good way. A way that made him feel completely and utterly… at peace.

So for the first time in the many years of his life, sleep came to him. He was free at last.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys, it's me, HiKari, better known as Kari the Third. Not really, but you catch my drift. So… this story. Hm… you know, I wanted to say as I was thinking of what I might mention in my author's note on my latest walk was that I didn't like this story, that it came to me, I just wrote it, I don't know what to think of it. And it's true that I don't know what to think of it, when I play it back in my head, I find it to be a rather boring plot. But as I wrote this story, I felt this calmness come over me. This week has been stressful as hell for me, and school in general has been like that for the past couple months. I guess I just wanted to write a story that was both stress related because of just that, and because my dearest AmePiper, to whom I have dedicated this story to, has been having an even harder time than me with stress. She's finally starting to feel better, though, which always brings me hope that maybe I will too. I find that the people who struggle the most and make it out okay, deserve everything they desire. AmePiper, I don't know if you desired a story like this from me, but baby, it's all I've got, and I'm hoping it'll help me make it through. I love you, girl._

_Thanks for reading guys!_

_P.S: Sorry I didn't proof read it, like I said, I've been REALLY tired. Thanks for reading (again) though._


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